Continuing Resolution Means No Cuts to Ag Programs

Lawmakers passed a Continuing Resolution on Thursday to keep the federal government fully-funded through January 19. That averts a potential government shutdown and gives President Trump and Congressional lawmakers time to hash out differences and come up with a long-term spending plan for Fiscal Year 2018.

The New York Times says the resolution passed by a 231-188 vote over Democratic opposition. It then cleared the Senate 66-32, with several Democrats from Republican-leaning states providing many of the key votes. The president signed the bill Friday.

The Continuing Resolution includes a provision waiving what’s known as Pay-As-You-Go rules, which would have triggered billions in cuts to mandatory spending because of the tax bill Congress passed this week. Those tax cuts are projected to add another $1.5 billion to the deficit over the next ten years. The PayGo rules would have hit spending on farm subsidies and entitlement programs like Medicare very hard.

Congress will return in January with a lot of issues to deal with that are important to agriculture, including immigration, the federal budget, health care, and national security.